Five Surprising Southern Food Towns

Vault & Vator’s concealed location may be the surest sign of Greenville’s transformation into a true eat-and-drink destination—the owners, Joe and Darlene Clarke, were confident patrons wouldn’t balk at a bar squirreled away speakeasy-style in the West End. The cocktail cellar is just one of the assured additions to a downtown dining scene spurred by Soby’s, which introduced its refined Southern classics twenty years ago. Asheville’s White Duck Taco Shop and Biscuit Head have set up shop, while Charleston’s Husk and Fork & Plough—a butcher and luncheonette from High Cotton’s chef—are coming. Along Main Street, Ji-Roz makes Sunday mornings synonymous with saganaki and eggs, and Jianna whips up squid ink radiatori andother polished pasta. Best of all is the Anchorage, a West Greenville charmer showcasing the gentlest aspects of Blue Ridge cooking—mountain trout and butter beans are in good hands here. A food hall at the Commons aims to open next spring.